1980 Chevrolet Corvette - C3 Showstopper

This Trick '80 Vette Draws A Crowd Wherever It Goes

Compared to the car's flamboyant body, the interior retains a relatively conservative look. Angeliadis kept the stock gauges but added an Eckler's rosewood trim kit on the console, center gauge package, and instrument cluster. Cash Upholstery in Spring Hill made up a set of two-tone black-and-red door panels, along with new black seat upholstery with contrasting red inserts and stitching. New carpeting and trim panels were also installed. While Angeliadis had the stock steering wheel on the Vette when our pictures were taken, he's since added an Eckler's rosewood-and-leather wheel to complement the interior colors. Taking off the roof panels for that once-a-week cruise requires tunes, so Angeliadis shoehorned in a Kenwood AM/FM/CD powered by a 200-watt JL Audio amp pumping six Sony Xplod speakers.

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Lift the high-rise hood, and there's plenty of flash in the engine compartment. The 350-cube small-block is mostly stock, but the previous owner did slip in a camshaft at some point. All the bright stainless trim was done by American Car Craft in Spring Hill, while Angeliadis purchased the chrome-plated pieces, covers, and brackets from Chromeco in Addison, Illinois. He dressed all the hoses and lines in Russell braiding, and Summit Racing supplied a set of "Heartbeat" valve covers. An Edelbrock 600-cfm four-barrel carburetor is bolted to a chromed intake. Not much else was done to the motor, aside from a quick going-over by Chevrolet Service Center in Largo. Angeliadis did add a set of ceramic-coated Hooker headers with 2.25-inch pipes, an X-crossover, and Flowmaster mufflers with Summit chrome tips.

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Even after 17 years, Angeliadis is still not finished with his Corvette. "I know that I may have taken a different route than many other owners," he admits, "since I spent most of my time on the body, interior, and suspension, but I do have more plans for the car." His next project will involve pulling the engine and rebuilding it with a 383 stroker kit and Dart aluminum heads.

Mike and Olga enter their car in dozens of shows in western Florida and, while most Corvette events these days are choked with C5 and C6 models, crowds seem to enjoy seeing this vintage Vette. "We usually place pretty high," Mike says, "mostly for the pearl paint and the chromed-out motor."

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Showing the Vette has brought Mike Angeliadis a lot of pleasure, but for him the best part of his Corvette experience began at his very first show. "I parked next to another '80 Corvette," he relates, "and it was painted black. I talked to the owner, and we shared our plans on what we wanted to do with our cars. Twelve years later, we met again at another show and were both shocked to see our accomplishments, many of which were the same, except the cars were still contrasting colors! Today, we're good friends and park side-by-side at Corvette shows."